Flexible mounts are often used to secure one member to another wherein one of the members is subject to an applied force which causes same to deflect relative to the other member. For example, such a mount may be used to resiliently secure a splash/spray control guard, such as a splash/spray guard or splash/spray fender to the body of a vehicle. The applied force may result from movement of the vehicle which causes the splash/spray control guard to come into contact with a stationary object. In this case, the mount should be sufficiently resilient to cause the splash/spray control guard to return to its original installed position once the applied force is removed.
Most prior types of flexible mounts utilize springs to provide the desired flexibility. However, springs typically have a short life in such applications and require a great deal of service. Also, the spring stiffness is typically such that the guard bounces continually as the vehicle is traveling, in turn resulting in fatigue damage. Moreover, these mounts typically rely solely upon the spring itself to mount the splash/spray control guard on the body of the vehicle. Thus, when the spring fails the entire splash/spray control guard assembly detaches from the vehicle body which may result in a safety hazard.
A different type of prior art flexible mounting developed by the assignee of the instant application utilizes a threaded stud or bolt which is secured at a first end to a vehicle body, a cylindrical body of elastomeric material disposed on a second end of the stud wherein a spacer is disposed between the body of the vehicle and the elastomeric material, a metallic sleeve surrounding the body of elastomeric material and a nut threaded on a second end of the stud for compressing the elastomeric material. A splash/spray control guard is secured to a tube which is clamped over the sleeve and the body of elastomeric material to mount the splash/spray control guard on the vehicle. The body of elastomeric material permits the splash/spray control guard to be deflected relative to the vehicle body and provides sufficient resilience to return the splash/spray control guard to the original installed position once an applied force is removed therefrom.